The Choice of Happiness

[Sky Dancer]

to be who you are, regardless of what any one else thinks. To love who you love.
To live your own life with richness.

What are the ethics of happiness?

 

[strollingbones]

i would add...do no harm...

 

[Sky Dancer]

Isn't the purpose of life itself to be happy?

"Since happiness is an activity of soul in accordance with perfect virtue, we must consider the nature of virtue …"

Aristotle

That appears to underscore your point, bones.

 

[Said1]

I don't know. But, happiness, or the pursuit of, as a natural right is subjective.

 

[editec]

Happiness is a chemical state.

There definitely appears to be a strong correlation between happiness and personal health however which is undeniable.

Sometimes I'm happy...for no particular reason.

Sometimes I not happy...also for no particular reason.

Am I the ONLY person on this board like this?

I rather doubt it.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Happiness is a chemical state.

There definitely appears to be a strong correlation between happiness and personal health however which is undeniable.

Sometimes I'm happy...for no particular reason.

Sometimes I not happy...also for no particular reason.

Am I the ONLY person on this board like this?

I rather doubt it.

Happiness is a choice. It is not just some moment of pleasure. It's an ethical strategy.

 

[editec]

Happiness is a chemical state.

There definitely appears to be a strong correlation between happiness and personal health however which is undeniable.

Sometimes I'm happy...for no particular reason.

Sometimes I not happy...also for no particular reason.

Am I the ONLY person on this board like this?

I rather doubt it.

Happiness is a choice. It is not just some moment of pleasure. It's an ethical strategy.

Yeah? You sure about that?

Hypothetical situation:

Your dog got off the leash and you called it and it ran with joy toward you until it was crushed under a truck.

Now, tell me, Sky... what ethical decision are you going to make to make yourself happy while you're kneeling over the dog you love which just accidently got killed?

 

[Sky Dancer]

Happiness is a chemical state.

There definitely appears to be a strong correlation between happiness and personal health however which is undeniable.

Sometimes I'm happy...for no particular reason.

Sometimes I not happy...also for no particular reason.

Am I the ONLY person on this board like this?

I rather doubt it.

Happiness is a choice. It is not just some moment of pleasure. It's an ethical strategy.

Yeah? You sure about that?

Hypothetical situation:

Your dog got off the leash and you called it and it ran with joy toward you until it was crushed under a truck.

Now, tell me, Sky... what ethical decision are you going to make to make yourself happy while you're kneeling over the dog you love which just accidently got killed?

The ethical choice I will make when my dog has been run over is to be with the truth of the loss and grieve honestly. The choice is to be present, and to not run some story line over the accident--such as this never should have happened. The truth is it did happen.

The choice is to hold the relative truth of the loss and the truth of life experiences being dream-like and illusory.

Sometimes we dream that the dog was accidentally killed, and the experience is as compelling in the dream as it is in 'real life'. We may even wake up crying--it's so real.

When you choose to hold the view--of the middle way--that the accident appears real and is compelling and you choose to respond to it as it is--and the view that all experience is illusory and dream-like--then you're less likely to react as though this never should have happened and make choices that lead to unhappiness--such as harming the driver of the car.

On the other hand, if the driver is drunk, then reporting the accident and making sure the drunk has to take responsibility is a way to increase the happiness of self and others--including the drunk.

There is a book called "How Great Beings Die" and we see how happiness is a choice. Some beings die happy--inspite of suffering. Happiness IMO is the absence of resistance to the truth of how things are. It is not the momentary bit of pleasure we label 'happiness'. Happiness is a choice. It is an ethical strategy in my opinion.

 

[HUGGY]

to be who you are, regardless of what any one else thinks. To love who you love.
To live your own life with richness.

What are the ethics of happiness?

There are no ethics when your big dream is to be a butt pirate.

 

[Sky Dancer]

to be who you are, regardless of what any one else thinks. To love who you love.
To live your own life with richness.

What are the ethics of happiness?

There are no ethics when your big dream is to be a butt pirate.

I haven't met you before. Is this your usual fixation of topics?

 

[HUGGY]

to be who you are, regardless of what any one else thinks. To love who you love.
To live your own life with richness.

What are the ethics of happiness?

There are no ethics when your big dream is to be a butt pirate.

I haven't met you before. Is this your usual fixation of topics?

No. I generaly rant about the filthy neo con christian fascists or the Israel apologists.

 

[Sky Dancer]

There are no ethics when your big dream is to be a butt pirate.

I haven't met you before. Is this your usual fixation of topics?

No. I generaly rant about the filthy neo con christian fascists or the Israel apologists.

OK. So you're telling me you'd rather rant than discuss. OK. Enjoy that.

 

[HUGGY]

I haven't met you before. Is this your usual fixation of topics?

No. I generaly rant about the filthy neo con christian fascists or the Israel apologists.

OK. So you're telling me you'd rather rant than discuss. OK. Enjoy that.

That is correct. I am here to opose stupidity not to debate the stupid.

 

[editec]

Well if you presume that adhering to reality is one of the paths to happiness, I'm not sure I agree.

Some of the most satisfied people I know have extremely tenuious grasps of reality.



Let's take that old saw about the state of that glass of water, shall we?

Some people might call that glass half full.

Others might call it half empty.

Others, let's call them realists, might say the glass had 6 ounces of water in it.

What ethical decision did any of them make?

Did one DECIDE to be an optimist and the others decided to be pessimeistic or realistic?

Perhaps I simply don't know what you're talking about.

Fell free to illuminate me about these "ethical" decisions one makes that will bring us happiness.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Well if you presume that adhering to reality is one of the paths to happiness, I'm not sure I agree.

Some of the most satisfied people I know have extremely tenuious grasps of reality.



Let's take that old saw about the state of that glass of water, shall we?

Some people might call that glass half full.

Others might call it half empty.

Others, let's call them realists, might say the glass had 6 ounces of water in it.

What ethical decision did any of them make?

Did one DECIDE to be an optimist and the others decided to be pessimeistic or realistic?

Perhaps I simply don't know what you're talking about.
Fell free to illuminate me about these "ethical" decisions one makes that will bring us happiness.

That's a possibility. Sorry about that. We make an ethical decision, when we realize that our happiness is interdependent with the happiness of others.

Then we choose to serve others, because we realize we aren't any different from anyone else. We all want to be happy, and we don't always know what leads to happiness.

We sometimes think being selfish leads to happiness. It doesn't.

 

[Amanda]

Happiness is a chemical state.

There definitely appears to be a strong correlation between happiness and personal health however which is undeniable.

Sometimes I'm happy...for no particular reason.

Sometimes I not happy...also for no particular reason.

Am I the ONLY person on this board like this?

I rather doubt it.

Happiness is a choice. It is not just some moment of pleasure. It's an ethical strategy.

That sounds strange to me. I don't choose to be happy... I just am, it's not a strategy, it just IS. I don't even know how you could choose it. It would be like choosing to be sad or angry... I don't know how to do that.

I was just chatting by PM with another poster that was saying they were angry or bitter a lot. That seems so sad to me, I wish I knew how to share my secret... whatever it is. Sometimes people will bust on me saying "Ignorance is bliss" and I always say I'd rather be happy than smart, I really would. They usually shake their heads and feel like they are superior for being so much smarter than me. But are they really better off? I don't think so, I wouldn't trade places with them.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Read Aristotle. He discusses how happiness is an ethical choice. Happiness arises out of concern for others. It's not some temporary state of self-satisfaction nor is it dependent on mood.
http://books.google.com/books?id=3N...66SFDA&sa=X&oi=book_result&resnum=3&ct=result

 

[Amanda]

Read Aristotle. He discusses how happiness is an ethical choice. Happiness arises out of concern for others. It's not some temporary state of self-satisfaction nor is it dependent on mood.
Happiness and Greek ethical thought - Google Book Search

Nah, I'll just keep being happy.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Read Aristotle. He discusses how happiness is an ethical choice. Happiness arises out of concern for others. It's not some temporary state of self-satisfaction nor is it dependent on mood.
Happiness and Greek ethical thought - Google Book Search

Nah, I'll just keep being happy.

No problem. I didn't expect you to have much interest in cultivating your critical thinking. My mistake in responding to your post as if you were someone actually interested in discussing the topic and considering it more deeply. No wonder you often report being bored.

See ya later, kid.

 

[Sky Dancer]

Well if you presume that adhering to reality is one of the paths to happiness, I'm not sure I agree.

Some of the most satisfied people I know have extremely tenuious grasps of reality.



Let's take that old saw about the state of that glass of water, shall we?

Some people might call that glass half full.

Others might call it half empty.

Others, let's call them realists, might say the glass had 6 ounces of water in it.

What ethical decision did any of them make?

Did one DECIDE to be an optimist and the others decided to be pessimeistic or realistic?

Perhaps I simply don't know what you're talking about.

Fell free to illuminate me about these "ethical" decisions one makes that will bring us happiness.

Adhering to reality is a path to happiness. Just my opinion of course. Most of us think that manipulating our minds or the minds of others is a path to happiness. I disagree. I think true happiness comes from being present. Present with the truth of how things are, and being able to see the truth more clearly.

We think we know truth but often we're just looking on the surface of things.